City residents voice gripes, kudos

Greeley Mayor Pro-tem Debbie Pilch invited the more than 60 people who showed up for a so-called town meeting Tuesday to offer compliments as well as criticisms.

So a few participants offered kudos, but most said the city needs to do a better job of fixing what’s wrong in their southeast Greeley neighborhoods.

Residents told the city that their neighborhoods have traffic problems, lax code enforcement, slow police response time and other assorted worries such as dogs pooping in Farr Park.

Greeley periodically hosts town gatherings to give residents a chance to speak up about their problems, ask questions, and – although they are scarcer than city officials might hope – give compliments.

Sparse attendance at the last meeting in southeast Greeley prodded Ward II City Councilman Ed Phillipsen to drum up more interest this time.

Phillipsen jotted this on top of city fliers announcing the meeting: “Please come and bring your family. This is our chance to get the attention of the city.”

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Town meetings motivate the city to respond to residents’ problems because the council and staff can attach a face to a problem, Phillipsen said.

“It’s unfortunate, but it seems to me that the only way to get the attention of decision-makers is to have voters show up en masse,” Phillipsen said.

Other city leaders disagree but, nevertheless, officials promised action for residents such as Tonya Thomas.

Thomas, who lives in Balsam Village in the eastern outskirts of town, gathered neighbors’ signatures on petitions with topics such as police response times are too long and speeding and noise laws need to be enforced.

The last time Thomas complained about traffic problems in her neighborhood, police increased patrols for two weeks, she said.

After that, Thomas didn’t see many officers, she said.

Greeley Police Chief Paul Branham said he will follow up with increased patrols in Thomas’s neighborhood.

As for the slow response times that Thomas and others complained about, Branham said police would love to respond to all calls immediately but they have to prioritize. The highest priorities include calls about injuries or crimes in progress.

As Branham chatted with residents who lingered after the meeting, Laura Hodge had a compliment for police.

“What few problems we’ve had, police have been there and dealt with them directly,” she said.